Articles From the Team
Are you afraid to read this blog?
Fears and phobias manifest in different ways for different people; often depending on circumstance, environment and in some cases previous experiences. Many of us will share common fears and phobias while others are quite rare and unique. Cookiemonsteratopicaphobia [cookie-monster-a-topica-phobia] is categorised as the fear that somewhere and somehow, in a rainforest, the cookie monster is watching you. This is not a real thing. Not least of all because the cookie monster is a fictional character and the dude in the muppet suit playing the cookie monster would highly unlikely be in a rain forest, let alone watching you or anybody for that matter. This is utter nonsense, yet a few years ago this “phobia” went viral on the internet, with thousands of people worldwide claiming to genuinely suffer such a fear. Of course this was all a hoax but like many things that tend to go viral so many people jumped on the band wagon, just for the fun of it. I thought it was hilarious!
A phobia is a type of anxiety, usually defined as a persistent fear. I googled a list of all known phobias and I was astounded to find that there are actually thousands of defined and recognised phobias! Thousands?! For some reason I found this hard to believe. I like to consider myself to be a rather patient and understanding person but I couldn’t fathom why some people would suffer some of the phobias listed. Those I found to be most puzzling are barophobia – a fear of gravity; and, globophobia – a fear of balloons. I just cannot get my head around it! Having said that, I am often mocked for my fear of spiders. It’s my biggest failing as a human that I cannot be in the same room as a spider. Honestly, I go to pieces. They don’t even have to be big spiders! It’s funny because my housemate is just as useless as me when it comes to spiders and my girlfriend is worse than the pair of us. I came home from work once and I was greeted by a spider in the living room, so I promptly left the house again for several hours in the hope that by the time I came home it would have gone away.
The point of all my ramblings is quite simple, we all have fears. We all have insecurities. We all have to face things that make us anxious in some way or that we’re uncomfortable with. It’s one of the unfortunate realities of being an adult. Whatever they are, we come across these road blocks on a daily basis both professionally and personally. As a legal recruiter I often find myself helping people prepare for interviews and in doing so I encounter their anxiety or fear in the form of nerves. For some people nervousness can be quite serious and in a small number of cases can render the individual somewhat debilitated either in speech or even consciousness. More often than not nerves manifest in the individual lacking confidence. In my role as a legal recruiter, helping you prepare for an interview is a top priority of mine and in doing so I will also help you deal with your nerves. In my experience over the last two years, with some people this is a simple vote of confidence and with others it’s a more long-term approach. In any case all I want you to remember is that it’s ok to be nervous because more than anything it shows that you’re taking the opportunity seriously and if that comes across in your interview you’re already doing something right. One of the key things to remember, regardless of where you’re interviewing or who you’re meeting, once upon a time and probably not that long ago that person on the other side of the table asking all the questions was in exactly the same position as you. Just as much as you do, they want the interview to go well, they want to impress you and be impressed by you and they want to walk away feeling like it was time well spent.
BCL Legal has spent thirteen years assisting lawyers across the country and in some cases across the world. We have offered advice and guidance to clients ranging from small two partner firms to multi-national legal practices, FTSE listed businesses and small independent companies. Candidates who work with us come from all walks of life and can find themselves moving into any number of roles, some which may well surprise you. Our key values are what set us apart from other legal recruiters and we pride ourselves on being able to say that we care. You might be fearful of leaving your current role, you might find yourself nervous approaching interviews and you might be anxious about the outcome. Whatever happens, we’re here to help you with that and make the entire process as easy as possible.
Gishan Abeyratne Senior Associate – Private Practice gishanabeyratne@bcllegal.com T: 0121 236 2623 | D: 0121 237 5619 | M: 07805 839 734